


Life By Chance

by ThatPotatoWhoWrites



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Before you ask, F/M, i don’t know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26342770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPotatoWhoWrites/pseuds/ThatPotatoWhoWrites
Summary: Padmé Amidala mysteriously falls in the line of duty. A grief stricken Anakin abandons his post to investigate what happened. After just a few days, her ghostly voice reaches out to him and begins to realise not everything is quite as it seems. Especially when she tells him to leave the planet.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 32
Kudos: 48





	1. Fallen

Screams filled the air. The ground trembled and shook. The pungent scent of metallic blood formed a thick miasma. Padmé was dragging herself over a stone floor, covered in brittle leaves and thin twigs. The last few rays of daybreak shone in through the arched windows that lined the long corridor. Pained whimpers accompanied every breath. One hand gripped the ground to pull her along, the other pressed against a dark, crimson stain on her stomach. Thick globs of blood seeped between her fingers and lips, dripping onto the floor. Cold tremors wracked her sweat covered body. Her vision was hazy and unfocused. Still, she kept moving. Forwards. Always forwards. Straight to the tall doorway ahead. Ferocious snarls and rumbling growls made her flinch, even if she could only just hear them over the loud war cries ringing in her ears.

Time was slipping away from her. Life was draining from her body. She could feel it happening. A numbness dulled her extremities and was slowly creeping it's way towards her heart. It wouldn't be long until it beat for the last time. Warmth collected in her eyes, but she couldn't break down. Not yet.

The room beyond the doorway was small, but open. Faded murals covered the walls. Creeping vines spidered the ceiling. Flameless torch scones rose up either side of a tall, angular alter that was carved out of glinting marble. Hauling herself to lean against it, she took a few moments to steady her rasping breath. With trembling hands, she pulled out the silver chain that rested under her neckline. Tugging it over her head, she stared down at the wooden pendant clutched in her hands. The little rectangle was intricately carved. Just seeing it brought warmth to her, fending off the numbness just a little longer. Running her blood crusted thumb over it, her bottom lip trembled. "I'm sorry, Anakin," she choked out. Warm tears cradled her cheeks.

Straining, she reached up and placed the pendant on the alter before all but collapsing onto her side. There was no doubt in her mind Anakin would come after her. He always did. By that time, she was sure her body would have been taken by the wild beasts, but the necklace would remain here, where he could find it. She could only hope and pray that would give him some kind of closure. The numbness finally ate its way into her chest. The contents of her mind drifted away from her. Trying to hold on was like grasping a handful of air. Just as the darkness began to creep into the corners of her eyes, the last ray of sunset went dark. Peace engulfed her.

Anakin bolted awake. Hot sweat coated his body and his hands grabbed fistfuls of his bedsheets so tightly they shook. His heart was thumping on his rib cage. Panic prickled his insides. His eyes darted around, but all he saw was darkness. The urge to find his wife pressed down upon him, squeezing the air from his lungs. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he sat up and pressed his head into his hands. Clenching his teeth, he sucked in shaky breaths and gripped handfuls of his hair. His gut screamed there was something wrong with Padmé. Something really wrong. Terror clawed away at his insides and a lump formed in his throat. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried in vein to suppress the feeling long enough to form a coherent train of thought. A beep, accompanied by a flash of red from the ground captured his attention enough to ease some of the fear. Getting to his feet, he staggered over to the gauntlet he had discarded on the floor and answered the wrist comm. "General Skywalker, you are needed in the control room," Rex's voice informed him.

"Can it wait?" Anakin grunted. He was not in a state to act as a general.

"No, sir. General Kenobi is waiting for you there," Rex responded, a note of sympathy echoing in his voice. Anakin's brows furrowed. Obi-Wan was on the ship? He was supposed to be with the 212th on the other side of the planet they were sieging. If something had brought him all the way over to the 501st, then it was of the upmost importance. Anakin was torn. He wanted to contact Padmé desperately, but he couldn't keep Kenobi waiting. Padmé was on the other side of the galaxy. If she was in danger, there was nothing Anakin could do. That thought made him grit his teeth so hard they creaked. The moment he could, he would go to her. For now, he had to have faith she was safe and alive. She had to be. "Sir?" Rex spoke timidly this time.

"I'll be there shortly," Anakin responded curtly, ending the transmission.

When Anakin entered the command room, he immediately knew something was off. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were the only ones present. The only light came from the circular, conference table at the centre of the room that had a holo projected surface. They were standing beside it and upon his entry, turned to face him slowly. Their faces were grim. The force was mellowed and grey around them. Anakin's heart froze when he saw water shimmering in Ahsoka's eyes. "What has happened?" Anakin asked slowly, stopping several feet from them. His stomach was churning and twisting itself into knots.

"Anakin, this isn't going to be an easy conversation," Obi-Wan warned him calmly.

"What is it?" Anakin asked more strongly than before, stepping towards them.

Obi-Wan blew out a long breath through his nose. "Senator Amidala has been killed in action," Obi-Wan said, his eyes filling with pity and upset. Anakin was struck both dumb and numb. Time seemed to pause for him. He replayed the words in his brain to see if he'd misunderstood. Dead? No. She couldn't be. His gut whispered its truth. His jaw hung slack on its hinges. Anakin swayed on his feet slightly, leaning down on the holo projector to steady himself. 

"That can't be true," Anakin whispered to himself, running his hands back through his hair.

"I'm sorry, master," Ahsoka spoke with a slight quiver to her voice. Anakin's heart beat rocked his whole body.

"No, no, no," he waved them off, standing up straight. "There has to be a mistake here. She can't be dead. She can't be." They traded a saddened look before glancing at him. His hands clenched into fists.

"Anakin, I saw it happen," Obi-Wan spoke slowly, reaching out and placing a hand on his former pupil's shoulder. "She was on a transmission to Yoda and I when her base camp was attacked." Anakin glared down at the floor as he allowed the new information to settle in. His jaw set.

"Show me," Anakin demanded.

"It isn't something you need to see," Obi-Wan objected, concern twinkling in his eyes.

"Show me," Anakin growled, leaning in closer. 

"I really don't think that's a-" Obi-Wan started.

"I need to see it," Anakin stressed, a little emotion creeping into his voice. "I have to." Blowing out a huff of defeat, Obi-Wan stepped back and began manipulating the conference table. A holo flickered to life atop its circular surface. It was Padmé. She was wearing one of the loose, but sturdy outfits she often wore on missions and assignments. Her hair was intricately pulled back into a tight bun. She was running, her blaster gripped in her free hand.

"This planet is not suitable for a republic mining colony," she spoke gruffly. "The building site alone would require killing thousands of the indigenous creatures. Those same creatures would cause millions of credits of damage to the colony and the mines within the first few years. It is simply unfeasible." Anakin's brows furrowed. This was the kind of report she would have given to the senate, not the Jedi. Unless, she simply didn't think she would survive long enough to report herself and was passing on information. His stomach tensed. In the back ground, he could hear blaster's firing and clones screaming. "We are under attack and evacuating to our ships," she explained, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes widened and her face paled.

"Do you require back up?" Obi-Wan's calm voice asked through the holo recording. "We have troopers that could make it to your aid in a standard day." 

"No. Sending more clones down here would be sending them to their deaths," she argued. "The majority of the unit has already been killed."

"Recorded as a non-hostile planet, Tutro is," Yoda spoke.

"Yes, the settlements we were negotiating with were friendly. What we didn't expect was for the-" she was cut off mid sentence when a long, thin object speared through her chest. Anakin lurched forwards. She was knocked down to her knees, her eyes going wide. She fell forwards, pushing the blue, needle like object back through her chest. The holo flickered out of existence. 

Anakin stared helplessly at the space her body had fallen. His hands gripped the edge of the table so tightly the metal began to bend. Numbness hollowed him out inside. Only one thought formed in his mind. He had to see her. Just one last time. "I'm going to Tutro," he stood up straight and backed away from them.

"Anakin, there is nothing for you there," Obi-Wan told him gently. Grinding his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, he burried the hot emotion that rose within him. Part of him still didn't believe she was dead. He had to see it for himself.

"I have to go," Anakin snapped, stepping back towards the door. 

"The council will punish for abandoning your post, master," Ahsoka added meekly, threading her fingers together.

"I don't care," he snarled. "They can expel me if they want. I don't care." Not waiting to hear their responses, he turned away from them and tore out of the room. The hallways beyond were primarily empty, but the lights were too bright. They burned his eyes. The hum of the ship was deafening him. He didn't know what to think. What to do. His mind didn't even want to begin to process the thought of Padmé actually being dead. His breath trembled in his throat. What would he do? What could he do? Without her, was there much point in anything else? His heart began racing. Dead. He'd repeated the word in his mind so many times it had lost its meaning.

After a painfully long journey, he found his way into a sturdy, little transport ship. Without R2 he couldn’t fly his own and R2 was needed for the siege. Lowering the access ramp, he watched from the ground as it lit up from within. The hangar around him was completely empty. Devoid of life. He bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan called from behind. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut. He just wanted to be left alone. Why wouldn't they leave him alone?

"Drop it, Obi-Wan" Anakin groaned, stepping up onto the ramp. "You won't change my mind."

"I understand that," Obi-Wan responded, stepping up onto the ramp behind him. "If I cant stop you, I'm coming with you." Anakin froze. Swivelling around, he glared down at his former master. Had he heard Obi-Wan right? Coming with him? His brows furrowed down.

"What about the siege?" he grumbled.

"Ahsoka is more than capable of seeing it through to completion, don't you think?" Obi-wan said. That was true. Ahsoka could handle a simple mission like this so long as there were no complications. She wouldn't be alone either. Rex and Cody would be there to help her. "It's in its last few days anyway," Obi-Wan added. "By the time we are back, it will be reaching its conclusion."

"We?" Anakin, shook his head. "You're not coming." The last thing he wanted was for someone to be there when the truth inevitably crushed him. That was time best spent alone. Not even he knew how he would react if he really did find Padmé dead on Tutro.

"I know how much she meant to you," Obi-Wan gripped Anakin's shoulders. "You never really tried to hide it, and I always knew." His were intense with concern. A silent plea shone in them. "This isn't something you should face alone." Anakin bit down on his tongue. Those words caused trembling emotion to rise in him. Upset bubbled behind his eyes. It was strangely comforting to hear that.

"Fine," Anakin sighed, stalking back up into the ship.


	2. Temple Run

When Anakin stepped down into the open air of Turtro, the first thing he noticed was its thickness. It blanched his skin in wet heat. Beams of brilliant sunlight shone in through the dense canopy. Their ship had landed on a huge, curving branch. The trees on this planet were colossal, reaching heights that rivalled even the Jedi temple on Coruscant. The ground was far, far below them. None of it's features could be seen, due to the gloomy darkness. Not much light could penetrate the layers and layers of ginormous leaves and winding branches. Vines as large as city transports looped and dangled, snaking around thick trunks. Deep bellows sounded from within the jungle, accompanied by the twittering whoops of creatures all around them. Anakin felt like an insignificant little bug.

"It's not far until we reach the old temple they were staying in," Obi-Wan explained. "Their ships and transports are there too." Anakin scratched his chin. For something to have killed Padmé when her transports were so close by, it must have been deadly.

"Did any of them make it out alive?" Anakin questioned, cocking a brow.

"Not that I am aware of," Obi-Wan admitted with a saddened sigh. Wordlessly, they began their trek. It wasn't easy to traverse the canopy. They were constantly climbing or crawling. Even with the use of the force it was a gruelling journey. It didn't help that Anakin's mind was eating itself alive the whole journey. That numbness inside him had yet to thaw. Part of him still didn't believe she was dead. His mind simply couldn't process the thought. A life without her? Only in the worst of his nightmares had he even conceived of such an idea. The calm, steadiness of Obi-Wan simply moved around him like a receding wave on a protruding rock. It had no effect. Not like it normally did.

The temple was visible long before they arrived in front of its gaping entrance. A building of grey rock was nestled in the palm of a tree trunk that had split into three. It was built like a pyramid, with peaking windows that covered its exterior. A wide set of stairs led up to its front doorway. Intricate statues displayed fearsome, feline creatures battling human warriors clothed in animal pelts. Within, there were lots of winding corridors that overlapped and intersected. Moss was nestled into every nook and cranny. 

At first, he had no idea where to look. There were no signs of people in any of the grand halls or secluded rooms they stumbled upon. He was loosing hope of ever finding any trace of their fallen comrades. That was, until a flash of white caught his attention. Just around a sharp bend, he caught sight of an arm clad in white armour. The two Jedi traded a look. As they approached, the stench became apparent. It was so foul, Anakin felt light headed. When he rounded the corner, he nearly gagged. Clone bodies littered the floor. Their chests were ripped open, limbs torn from their bodies. His face crinkled in disgust. A few of them had long, javelin-like spikes protruding from their bodies. It was striped blue and white. Just like the one that struck down Padmé. His hands clenched into tight fists.

Wordlessly, he wove through the mine field of dead bodies. He could lay them to rest later. His heart began racing in his chest. Anger swelled within him. Whatever did this was a creature with no remorse. If he came across it, he would show it no mercy. 

As he progressed, the bodies became fewer and fewer until all that remained was a streaky trail of blood. It was old and dark. The occasional handprint accompanied it. Someone had dragged themself away. Obi-Wan pointed off to the side. One of the spikes was lying discarded with a bloody tip. "The only body that hasn't be accounted for is Padmé's," Obi-Wan explained. Anakin's eyes flicked down to the bloodied streaks. His heart twisted in pain. 

They followed the dark trail to a small room at the top of an adjacent corridor. At its centre was a large alter. By the base, the bloody streaks came to collect in a large, crimson blotch. Anakin crouched down by its side. The liquid itself was gone, but it had stained the very rock beneath it. There was no sign of a body and the only smell was the feint traces of blood. Standing back up, his eyes scoured the place. The empty torch scones. The wide window. The top of the alter. His heart stopped beating. The japor snippet was delicately laid on the edge of the alter.

With a shaky hand he reached out and delicately picked it up. It's edges were crusted in blood. Seeing the familiar design, reality crushed him. That blood was Padmé's. There was only one reason she would part with the necklace. Clenching his fist around it, he leaned down on the alter for support. Hot tears welled in his eyes, streaking down his cheeks. His whole body rattled with trembles. "No," he whimpered. Why hadn't he seen this before it happened? Why hadn't he been able to stop it? Why did it have to happen to her?

"I'm sorry, Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered, placing a heavy hand on his former padawan's back.

"Obi-Wan, I-" he choked, straightening back up and turning to face his master. He didn't care if Obi-Wan saw him cry. He didn't care that he wasn't supposed to be with Padmé. He didn't care that he was struggling to hold himself together. Devastation drowned out every other emotion. "I don't know what to do," his voice cracked and wavered. Obi-Wan himself looked uncertain of what to say. Empathy shone in his gaze, but not even that could comfort Anakin. "She was everything to me. I don't know if I can even live without her." The more he spoke, the heavier the weight compressing his chest became. 

"You'll make it through this," Obi-Wan assured him, grasping his shoulders.

"I can't," Anakin shook his head, more tears leaking out the corner of his eyes. "We wanted to grow old together. We wanted to have kids. We should have left the kriffing war behind us," he gushed, the harsh truth that they could do none of those things was crushing him. Now when he went off to war, he'd have no one to come back in one piece. He'd have nothing to look forwards to on his return from battle. What would his life even mean? 

Obi-Wan's lips curled downwards. Pain danced across his face. "I'm so sorry, Anakin," he spoke again calmly. Those words hurt, because they were confirmation. Confirmation he'd never see her face again. He'd never hear her laugh. He'd never feel her touch. His chin trembled. More tears streamed from his eyes.

A hissing rattle caught his attention. Both Jedi turned simultaneously. A huge, feline creature was taking up the whole hallway with its body and blocking their only exit. It's top lip curled, displaying huge canines that poked down past its chin. Black fur was pulled tight over chiselled muscle. Piercing golden eyes with slitted pupils were trained on them. Iridescent, blue feathers stretched from the back of its neck and over its shoulders. Two, stubby horns jutted out from the back of its head. They were standing upright, shaking from side to side and creating a rattle. Poking out of the feathers were long, blue and white quills. Anakin's eyes narrowed. "That's the thing that killed her," he growled, using the force to summon his lightsaber to his hand.

"Wait, Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, but it was too late. Anakin lunged after the beast, swinging hard. For such a large creature, it moved startlingly fast. It could dodge out the way of his barrage of attacks. It snapped and hissed at him. One bite of its jaws would tear him clean in two. The clones wouldn't have stood a chance against a creature like this. It would be best if Anakin simply removed its stain from the galaxy. He chased it through the corridors, leaving molten scorch marks on the floors and walls in his wake. The cold power of anger filled him. It allowed him to focus completely on the creature he hunted. The beast. 

Finally, he pushed it back into a dead end corridor. It's ability to dodge was severely hampered by the lack of space. With one clean cut, he took off one of the front legs. It let out a roar of pain. Staring it down, he felt his whole body trembling with rage. This thing had ruined his life, so he was going to make sure it suffered. The grip on his lightsaber was so tight his mechanical hand squealed. Just as he was about to strike out again, he faltered. The steaming nub where the beasts arm had been began to bulge in shift. His brows furrowed in confusion. Before his very eyes, a new limb began to grow and form until a perfectly unharmed paw had had taken his place. That explained why blaster bolts would have had no effect on it. 

The creature used his startle to its advantage. Using its feather tipped tail like a whip, it pulled his feet from under him. Landing hard on his back, his saber was knocked from his hand. A huge paw stepped on his chest, completely covering him and pinning him to the ground. Anakin struggled beneath it, gritting his teeth in annoyance. It let out a low rumble, leaning its head down towards him. Hot breath washed over his face. It's two largest canines were each the length of forearm. Fury boiled inside of him. He couldn't let this thing live. The force reacted to his emotion like hydrogen the fire. He directed it into one huge blow that threw the beast off of him and into a wall. It crumpled to the floor in a heap.

Picking himself up, he rolled his shoulders and glared at it. Getting back onto its paws, it bore its teeth once more. With a shout, Anakin thrust out a hand. Using the force, he forced the creature to the ground and held it there. It squirmed violently, hissing in protest. Letting out a low growl of his own, he advanced on it and raised his blade high to strike. It let out a whimper, making itself as small as possible and bowing its head. Good. It knew it was about to meet the end. Anakin began swinging the blade down to kill it, but something gripped his arm tightly. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Obi-Wan staring at him with a concern wrinkled brow. "Stop," Obi-Wan spoke.

"Let go," Anakin hissed. "This thing killed Padmé."

"You can't know that for sure," Obi-Wan argued. "There could be hundreds like it in this area."

"No creature like this should even exist," Anakin snapped, tugging against Obi-Wan's hold.

"Look at it," Obi-Wan jutted a hand towards it. Although Anakin had stopped using the force to keep it down, it was still crouched low with its head bowed. Even in such a pathetic state it was huge. "It's just an animal. You've bested it. You've won."

"I won't have won until it's dead," he seethed.

"Revenge isn't the Jedi way," Obi-Wan protested. Anakin opened his mouth to admit he simply didn't care, but Obi-Wan kept talking. "Do you think Padmé would want this?" he frowned.

"Don't," Anakin warned him.

"Do you think she would be happy knowing you struck down a cowering animal?" Obi-Wan spoke stonily. The creature watched them closely. It's golden, glowing eyes tracked Anakin's every movement. The Jedi sheathed his blade. A heavy feeling settled over him, weighing down his body. Jutting his jaw to one side, he glared at the floor. No. Padmé would certainly not have approved if Anakin killing the beast. Especially not after it had submitted to him. That would be like killing an unarmed man.

"Get out of here," he snapped at the creature, not trusting himself to not kill it if it stayed any longer. Needing no further invitation, the creature scampered to its feet and bolted past them. It vanished down the corridor, heading in the direction of the temple entrance. Clipping his saber to his belt, he brushed past a relieved looking Obi-Wan. There was bodies to be buried.


	3. Search for Inconvenience

Anakin felt weary pain gnawing him to the bone. Every action felt meaningless. Empty. They'd found a large room with towering stone statues that seemed like a suitable final resting place. Obi-Wan had begun moving the bodies and Anakin had gone off to search for Padmé. Or what was left if her. With every empty room and hallway he found, his soul sank a little lower. In truth, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what had become of her. To see her mangled like the clones had been might just be the last lash that well and truly killed him, but he couldn't leave her to be stashed away or stuffed in some dark, cobwebbed part of the temple. She deserved more than that. She deserved so much more than all of this. To be cut down by a wild beast. To die alone, on the other side of the galaxy from Anakin. They hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

When he returned to Obi-Wan, all the clone bodies had been neatly laid out on the cobbled floor. The Jedi Master was standing in front of them, his head dipped in respect and his face downturned with upset. They'd lost so many in this war. Too many. It felt like the deaths were never ending. Every time he blinked someone else was gone. The force was constantly loosing lights. Like the stars in the sky were switching off one by one.

As he approached, Obi-Wan turned to greet him. His lips curled downwards when he realised Anakin was empty handed. "I don't know where she could have gone," Anakin commented, running a hand back through his hair. "I returned to the alter but the blood didn't lead anywhere else."

"Perhaps something else took her," Obi-Wan suggested, wincing at his own words.

"With no blood trail left to follow?" Anakin queried, cocking a brow. "I searched the whole place. There is no sign of her. No clothing, no body, no bones."

"It is a peculiar one," Obi-Wan remarked, pressing his lips into a thin line and stroking his beard. "We both saw her being struck down. There is no medical centre on this planet. She could not have survived."

"I know that," Anakin snapped, folding his arms over his chest. "I just-" he blew out a long breath through his nose and glared at the ground. "It doesn't feel right to leave her body to some creature."

"Such is the natural way of life," Obi-Wan told him. Deep grooves appeared on the bridge of Anakin's nose. "By now, its probably already too late." A cold, sick feeling twisted Anakin's gut. "The necklace you found was hers, wasn't it." Anakin gave a small nod. "Then you didn't find nothing," Obi-Wan spoke softly. "You found part of her you can keep close." Pulling the snippet out of the folds of his clothing, he ran a thumb over the worn wood. His heart bled. He screwed up his face like he'd been struck. Was this all he had left of her? No. He had her memory. The time they spent together was the happiest he'd ever been. It would stay that way forever. Always.

"We should go," Anakin whispered, slipping the necklace back into his robes. "There is nothing here now." Padmé had fought for peace in this galaxy, so he would do his darnedest to make that true. There was a war to fight and Ahsoka was waiting on their return. Obi-Wan sent him an encouraging nod. It was time to go.

Normally, when their ship came into view, Anakin always got a buzz of excitement. Now, he felt nothing. There was no anticipation to fly. No delight at returning to his fleet. No desire to keep moving. When the ramp came down, Obi-Wan wasted no time walking up it, but Anakin halted. Turning around, he stared out across the jungle. Tears nipped his eyes and a lump developed in his throat, but he swallowed it down. This was the final good bye. This was his first step to a life without her. 

Taking in a shaky breath, he placed a foot up on the ramp. "Please don't go," an ethereal voice whimpered in his head. He froze. Every muscle in his body went ridged. That voice. He knew that voice. He knew it better than his own. Whipping around, he scanned the forest. His heart was racing. Nothing shifted and nothing had changed. At first he thought he might have imagined it, but he'd heard it clear as day.

"Padmé?" his voice hitched. He was hit with a wave of conflict. Her conflict. More than that, he could feel her fear. Her mind was practically trembling. Brows furrowing, he couldn't believe what was happening. Was he imagining this? That couldn't be. She felt just as alive as Obi-Wan behind him.

"Anakin, I'm so sorry," her voice was shaking with emotion. Upset was bubbling out of her like a fountain, but he could barely process it.

"You're alive?" he asked, feeling like he was floating in a dream. He needed to find her. To see her. "Where are you?" She suddenly became very distressed. Her mind kicked up all kinds of emotions. They spun him in circles and completely disoriented him. Before he could protest, she ejected him from her mind. "Wait, Padmé no!" he cried. Closing his eyes, he tried desperately to locate her through the force or reopen their link. All he got was a feint trace of her life energy, but it was distant and hazy. He couldn't track it. "Padmé, please," he whispered beneath his breath. No response.

"Is everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked, emerging from the ship's belly and galloping down towards him. Anakin opened his eyes and turned to his master with a deep frown. She didn't want him to leave, but she wouldn't tell him where she was? 

"Padmé is alive," Anakin told him. Obi-Wan's brows shot up and surprise rattled through his force presence. "She reached out to me. I heard her talking."

"I wasn't aware that was something you two could do," Obi-Wan hummed, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"Neither was I," Anakin responded. 

"Did she tell you where she is?" Obi-Wan cocked a brow.

"I asked but she freaked out and cut the bond," he complained, clenching his fists and setting his jaw. "I need to go and find her." His mind escaped him, running away with all the possible terrible things that could have happened to her. 

"You should wait until the morning," Obi-Wan pointed up towards the sky, which was tinged orange. Anakin hadn't even noticed how dark it was getting. "The sun sets rapidly on this planet. It'll be pitch black before you know it."

"I can't, Obi-Wan," Anakin shook his head. "I felt how afraid she was. I can't leave her out there to fend for herself."

"We don't know what creatures lurk in the dark," Obi-Wan responded calmly. 

"Exactly!" Anakin responded sharply. "What if she's attacked, or eaten? What if she's clicks away from dying or bleeding out? What if waiting till the morning means we find her dead instead of breathing?" Obi-Wan gripped Anakin's shoulders, steadying his rampant thoughts.

"Padmé has survived three rotations on this planet by herself, she must have found a way to protect herself. If blood loss was going to kill her, she'd already be dead. If she was in imminent danger, she would have told you," Obi-Wan explained with a steady gaze. "You haven’t slept since you found out about her death. You may be a Jedi, but even we have limits." Anakin opened his mouth to argue. "Finding her will be a lot easier if your mind is sharpened by sleep." 

"Okay," Anakin groaned, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"It might work to our advantage anyway," Obi-Wan released him and took a step back. Anakin tipped his head, prompting him to continue. "We have no idea where to look right now, but maybe overnight Padmé will calm down and reach out to tell us how to find her." Nodding his head, he ran his hands back through his hair. 

"All right," he sighed and began his journey up the ramp. As much as he hoped she would, Anakin had a strong feeling she would not be reaching out to him any time soon. Had he done something wrong? For now, all he could do was keep faith she would be fine until he found her.


	4. Wake Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter, I’ve been cutting bits out of the story so not everything will be even. Longer chapters will be coming soon enough.

Anakin awoke to the sound of groaning metal. Jumping to his feet, he was thrown off balance when the ship shifted around him. The lights began to flicker and hiss. "Come on!" Obi-Wan called from where he stood by the ship's exit. Slamming a fist on the access panel, the ramp began to descend. Neither waited for it to touch ground. They threw themselves out of the gap and onto the rough bark below. 

Whipping around to face the ship, Anakin just saw it being pushed over the edge by a canine creature with long, tentically appendages with a sharp, clubbed ends. Anakin went ridged, and moved to grasp his lightsaber. When his hand grasped nothing but thin air, his heart dropped from his body. Scampering to the edge of the branch, he watched in dismay as a huge flash of orange light boomed far, far below them. "My lightsaber!" he cried, gripping the sides of his head.

"Watch out!" Obi-Wan called. Anakin ducked as one of the mace-like tentacles sailed over his head. Flipping backwards, he landed beside his former master, who had his weapon drawn and ready. "Have you lost your lightsaber again?" he breathed out in exasperation. He only got a dry look in response. 

The creature began crawling towards them. Long strings of drool hung from its fang, lined jaws. Its glossy, black skin looked slimy to the touch and its extra appendages whipped around it, steaming from the back of its head. It snarled and spat. "This thing doesn't look friendly," Anakin huffed, retreating slowly backwards. His hand dipped into the folds of his tunic. When he felt the hard surface of the snippet, he blew out a steady breath. Some of the tension slipped from his shoulders.

"The strange predators on different planets never do," Obi-Wan retorted. The beast lashed out, swinging a mace tipped tentacle. With a twirl of his blade, the Jedi cut it before it could knock them down. The creature let out a screech of pain. From where it had been severed, two more tentacles erupted. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering Anakin's face. He grumbled beneath his breath in annoyance. "Oh great, there are more of them now,"Obi-Wan chirped sarcastically, wiping the scarlet droplets from his clothing. 

The creature swung more of its tentacles. The Jedi dodged most of them, but Obi-Wan was forced to sever more and the more he cut, the more appeared, making it more difficult to dodge, thus requiring him to cut more off. They tried to run as well, but the beast was fast. It was in their way and blocking their path before they'd even tried to move. Before they knew it, they were facing off a swarm of them. The creature itself could hardly be seen. "We're going to have to think of another way to get rid of this thing," Anakin grunted, dodging a few strikes. 

"That might have been easier if you were armed," Obi-Wan grumbled. There was no time to retort because the creature leapt at them. Anakin just barely managed to jump out of its reach. It moved too fast for him to collect his bearings. It continually pounced after them, teeth gnashing. He wasn't sure how much longer they could keep this up. A streak of blue burst through his peripheral vision and dove onto the creature. 

Anakin staggered to a halt, not far from Obi-Wan. The tentacle creature screamed and wailed, flailing around. Wrangling it down was a feline creature with iridescent plumage. "That's the temple creature," Anakin growled. 

"I doubt it's the same one," Obi-Wan commented. There was a sickening crunch and the mess of tentacles fell into a spaghetti on the tree branch. Standing victorious atop it was the other beast. 

"It is," Anakin assured him, narrowing his eyes. "I can feel it." The feline lifted its head towards them. The slitted pupils focused on him. Somehow, he knew it didn't want to hurt him. Not this time. Perhaps it had learned its lesson, or maybe it didn't want to expend energy trying to kill him because it had already caught its prey.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to run," Obi-Wan gripped Anakin's upper arm tightly. "Let's not give it the chance to finish what it started yesterday." Although logic told Anakin to listen to his former master, his gut grounded him. The beast crept closer, until it was just an arms length away. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan spoke with urgency, tugging at his arm.

"It's fine, Obi-Wan," Anakin murmured. He found himself being drawn in by the creatures golden eyes. They seemed to swirl and pulse. It completely mesmerised him. His body moved of its own accord, forcing him to reach out with an open palm towards the beast. It's eyes flicked towards his outstretched limb. With a low rumble, it pressed its head into his palm. The breath caught in his lungs. The fur was soft to his touch and it wasn't just jet black as he suspected. The root was vibrant blue, the colour occasionally peaking through. 

Instead of the boiling rage he once felt towards the creature, a little bond flickered to life. It startled him out of his trance. He went ridged. Why was he making friends with the creature that had hurt Padmé so badly? His top lip curled and disgust bubbled up within him, coupled by anger. As if it could sense it, the creature rose up to it's full height. It towered over him, but he wasn't intimidated. If he beat it once, he could do it again. "Alright, we are even now. I let you live and you saved my life. You can go now," he told it sternly. The creatures ears flipped backwards and it let out a pathetic meowing sound. "Go," he reiterated with more venom. It slunk away, stopping only to pick up the fallen tentacled beast and drag it away into the depths of the jungle.

"Who knew you were an animal whisperer," Obi-Wan chuckled. Anakin sent him a playful glare. At some point, he couldn't remember when, the Jedi master had released the grip on his upper arm. "Shall we go and find Padmé now, or will we wait until something else attacks us." Anakin clenched his jaw. He hated that he'd wasted so much time on mindless creatures. "Any idea where to start?"

"Their ships," Anakin sighed. "It might even have rations we can use now that we've lost ours." He stared over the edge of the branch into the dark abyss below where he knew their ship lay in wreck. Blasted beast.


	5. Mewow

Anakin lay flat on his back, staring up at the canopy above. The sky was ashen and grey. Birds twittered an evening lullaby. He was atop the peak of the temple. Obi-Wan was close by, laying on his side and letting out the occasional snore. They'd spent the whole day searching ships with no new leads. Aside from just blindly wandering and hoping to happen upon her, their only other option was to find any locals and ask if they'd seen Padmé. The japor snippet was tucked into his robes, his hand resting over it and his thumb tracing the hard edge. The birds were huge, but from far away they looked a normal size. He watched as two with long, hanging feathers preened each other at the top of the canopy. The sight brought warmth to his heart. It reminded him of the way Padmé would toy with his hair when he lay in her lap. A smile curled his lips. He could practically feel her feint touch. The sight of her smiling down at him was burned into the back of his eyelids. 

"Anakin," her voice whispered in his mind. At first, he thought it was his imagination but her emotions began flowing through him. Fear. Pain. Guilt. Furrowing his brows he sat up. She wasn't far from him. Her feelings were much crisper and more tangible to him.

"Where are you, Padmé?" he whispered, mindful of his sleeping friend.

"I can't tell you that," she responded, a flicker of upset pouring out of her.

"Why not? Are you in trouble?" he queried, leaning down onto his knees.

"Not immediately," she responded hesitantly. His brows furrowed she wasn't telling him something. Through their bond, he felt her mind desperately clutching onto a secret and obscuring it from his view. "You should leave the planet."

"Leave?" Anakin half-shouted. He paused, glancing back over his shoulder at Obi-Wan. The Jedi stirred, but quickly settled back down. "You asked me to stay," he spoke eventually, keeping his voice low.

"I shouldn't have," she answered quickly. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just... I just have a few things to take care of here and then I will return to Coruscant. Please go." Despite the certainty of her words, he felt her emotions waver. She didn't want him to leave, not in the slightest, so why was she asking him to? 

"How long will you be?" he asked to humour her.

"I don't know. A few weeks, a year, maybe more," she told him. He straightened up. A year? What could she have possibly gotten herself into? What was keeping her here? What was making her push him away?

"Padmé, what's going on?" he spoke with a note of force.

"You don't want to know," she responded, her voice rising in pitch. He clenched his jaw. He most certainty did want to know.

"Tell me," he spoke lowly.

"I don't know," her fear poured into her voice, making it shake. His heart squeezed. Padmé was out there, facing some unknown problem in the midst of a jungle filled with deadly monsters. If she thought he was going to leave her to fend for herself, she was sorely mistaken. "I died, Anakin," she stated, making his stomach twist. "Somehow, I've been brought back. I need to find out why."

"Then why won't you let me know where you are?" he spoke softly. There was a heavy beat of silence. "Padmé, please," he begged. "I thought you were dead. I just want to see you again. I need to know you're okay."

"That's the thing, dying has taken its toll on me," she whispered, her fear just intensifying. Unease stirred within him and he bit down on his bottom lip. "I won't be as you remembered."

"I don't care," he responded firmly. "Whatever has happened to you, we can face it together just as we always do. I'm not leaving and I will find you, so you might as well just tell me where you are." There was a long beat of silence. He began grinding his teeth, but he remained silent.

"Okay," she said quietly in defeat. He perked up at the prospect of seeing her. "Just give me time to-" she let out a deep sigh. "I'll find you, tomorrow morning," she instructed. A buzz of excitement hummed in his veins.

"It's a date then," he teased. Anakin could practically feel her roll her eyes.

"Just prepare yourself for the worst," she grumbled.

"The worst is you being dead," he assured her gently. If you could grin with your thoughts, then that's exactly what she was doing. "I'm just looking forwards to seeing you alive," he admitted, lying back down and clasping his hands behind his head. His eyes shut over.

"You'll definitely get alive," she mused. He couldn't help but ponder what she meant by that. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait, don't go," he protested. "Keep the bond open."

"Okay," she chuckled. They fell into a comfortable silence and he basked in the warmth of her life force. Her emotions had settled quite a bit, from an aggravated hornet to a mindless fly. 

The next morning, Anakin was up the moment the first rays of dawn were poking through the leaves. He paced back and forth in front of the gaping temple entrance. He was gnawing on his bottom lip, picturing all the gruesome things that could have happened to Padmé. Sweat beaded his forehead and his whole back was tight with tension. Obi-Wan was sitting on the top step of the angular stone staircase with his head in his hands. The birds were twittering away happily. Through their bond, he could tell Padmé was awake. Her nerves were jittering just as badly as his, but where he had overlaying excitement, she had overlaying dread. 

"I don't think I've seen you this nervous since we were assigned to guard her from assassins," Obi-Wan commented, the corners of his lips curling up in amusement. 

"The last time I saw her, she was impaled by that damn beast," Anakin snorted. Padmé's attention shifted to him.

"Damn beast," she repeated meekly.

"Yeah," he grunted. "We came across the creature that slaughtered the clones at the temple." There was a long pause. Anakin stopped his pacing, feeling her emotions beginning to spiral downwards. Panic rose within her, setting his nerves on fire with unease. From above, he heard a branch rustle. Craning his head up, all he saw was a trembling leaf. The two Jedi traded a look. The force buzzed around them. Even though their eyes saw nothing, they could feel living things slinking around in the foliage around them.

"Wait... where are you now?" she asked.

"The temple," he responded hesitantly, stiffening slightly.

"Get away from the there," she blurted urgently. Obi-Wan jumped to his feet, hand hovering over his lightsaber, and the two Jedi stood back to back. 

"Why?" Anakin questioned.

"It wasn't an animal that killed the troopers. It was the native tribe," she explained. "We thought the temple was abandoned. We only realised too late that it was a place of worship for them. They'll kill you on sight." Anakin's gut clenched. He whispered the new information to Obi-Wan, who blew out a long, pained breath. More leaves began to rustle and shake around them.

"I think we’re about to meet them," Anakin murmured. The moment those words had left his lips, a barrage of blue and white spears hailed down on them from all angles. Obi-Wan batted a few away with his lightsaber and Anakin directed away what he could with the force, but one of them grazed his arm, leaving a deep gash. He let out a grunt. Just like that, hundreds of humans in coloured animal skin clothing jumped from the trees brandishing bone weapons with deadly blades. "Just wonderful," Anakin groaned.

"We should run," Obi-Wan commented, backing away from the oncoming hoards of people.

"Good call," Anakin remarked. Just like that, they turned heel and sprinted away from the temple. Using the force to propel themselves faster, they easily outran the hoard. Anakin thought they would be fine until he glanced back over his shoulder. His stomach dropped to the ground. A creature, just like the beast from the temple, was charging after them. This one was heavily scarred and had huge horns that curved out of its skull. Riding atop it was a man with feathered apparel. He had his blue and white spear raised high to strike and was bearing down on them fast.

The Jedi moved in unison, jumping down between layers of the canopy and vaulting over thick tree branches. The lower they got, the darker it grew. The managed to loose the hoard, but the temple cat and his rider were gaining on them faster and faster. 

At first he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but Anakin's body was beginning to grow numb. He realised something was wrong when he began to stumble. Obi-Wan fell into pace beside him, yanking him up every time he tripped. That worked to keep them going for a while, but it was getting worse. Anakin's body was begging to grow heavy and got quite cumbersome. Not even the force could keep him going. That damn spear must have been tipped with poison. Eventually his legs gave out and he collapsed face first onto the rough bark. Obi-Wan took position over him, lifting his lightsaber up to defend. All Anakin could think of was Padmé. He couldn't die here. He had to see her again.

Through the bond, her felt her stress levels skyrocket. She was moving, pushing herself faster and faster. He was the sole focus of her mind. He nearly screamed when he realised she was racing towards him. “Padmé, stay away,” he croaked. There was no response, but he felt a flicker of irritation from her at those words. He used his arms to weakly push at the bark to get back up, but his lower half had completely stopped responding. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of him was gone too. 

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the beast leaping towards them with its fangs bared. His eyes grew to the size of saucers. There was a streak of black and blue. The creature was knocked clean off the branch, a new one standing in its place. Anakin knee this beast. It was the temple creature. It turned back to them, creeping closer. Its golden eyes were transfixed on them. Obi-Wan raised his blade, stopping it coming any closer.

“Tell Obi-Wan to stand down," Padmé barked through her mental link. Anakin froze, his eyes growing wide. That voice. The beast. Shock numbed him internally. The temple creature hadn’t killed Padmé, it was Padmé.

"Stand down, Obi-Wan," Anakin wheezed. The Jedi master peered down at him with an incredulous look. There was a thud behind them as the creature landed back on the branch. Padmé turned to Obi-Wan, staring straight into his eyes and bowing down slightly. His mouth fell open, but he needed no further invitation. Grabbing Anakin, he vaulted onto her back. The moment he landed, she set off racing. Obi-Wan grasped handfuls of her feathers to steady himself and draped Anakin across her back.

Anakin’s whole body was jolted by the motion. He felt the power of her muscles as they shifted beneath her hide. Craning his head up, he peered behind her. The creature gave chase, but was steadily loosing ground. She moved fast like a speeder or a pod racer. The forest around them dissolved into a blur of colour. If it hadn’t been for his Jedi sense, he would have been very dazed. The man atop the creature lifted his hand into the air, a blue and white spear clutched in his grasps. Anakin’s eyes went wide.

"Padmé, watch out!" Anakin shouted down their connection. The warning came too late. The spear was flung through the air, imbedding in her hip. A deep roar sounded from within her chest. She began limping, drastically slowing her down. The memory of cutting her leg off sprung to mind. She’d recovered in seconds. She couldn’t do that if the spear was still lodged in her. The creature began gaining on them. "Pull it out!" Anakin yelled to Obi-Wan and Anakin could feel his master’s hesitance. "She will be fine. She heals fast!" he exclaimed. Just like that, Obi-Wan yanked the quill out. She stumbled and another guttural growl reverberated through her. The limp eased in a matter of seconds, allowing her to regain momentum. The creature threw more spears, but she'd learned to dodge them. Anakin used the force to defect any that veered a little too close. In no time, she left the creature in her dust. 

When the other beast was long out of their sight, she slowed to a trot. Her chest heaved beneath them. Still, she kept moving. Anakin found himself wondering where they were going. He could feel that she had a set destination. Part of him wanted to question her, but the cold shock running through him kept his jaw locked. So the creature he had been at odds with ever since arriving on Tutro was Padmé? Why had she hidden herself from him? His stomach lurched when he recalled nearly killing her in the temple. Then again, she was the one that attacked first. Surely she could have just spoken to him as she does now to explain that it was her? Decided he would simply as her when they stopped, he tried to put the queries from his mind.

Instead, he focused on his link with Padmé. She was greatly distressed. He could sense she was ashamed. Ashamed to be a creature with four legs and fangs. His gut clenched. Silently, he reached out to assure her there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He got a little flicker of warmth in return. Anakin couldn’t help but be amused because it affected the way she walked. She developed a little bounce in her trot.

A little hollow in a large tree came into sight. Clambering into it, she gently lowered herself down to the ground. Obi-Wan slid off her back and placed his former padawan by her side. Lying on his back, Anakin used his elbows to shakily prop himself up. He stared at her considerately, absorbing the sight before him. Now that he knew the connection, when he stared at the beast he could see feint traces of Padmé. She shrunk away from him, turning to leap out of the hollow entrance. "Where are you going?" Anakin blurted. Obi-Wan cautiously peered between the two of them. 

"To get a med pack," she responded internally. Anakin’s eyes shot down to the injury on his arm. It was still bleeding profusely. With the numbness of the poison, he’d completely forgotten about it.

"There are hundreds of them at the temple, they'll kill you," he argued, worry tying knots in his stomach because he knew he had no way to stop her.

"I'll blend in," she responded glumly. His mouth opened, but he couldn't give her a response. Shutting down their link so he couldn't object any further, she sprung from the hollow and began racing back to the temple. Anakin was left stunned. She wasn’t wrong and the worst part was he could tell how deeply that wounded her.


	6. Flapjack

Anakin lay flat on his back, a cold numbness buzzed through him. An earthen, damp smell filled his senses. He could hardly feel the ground beneath him. From the way his body was limp, he could tell he'd been hit by a paralytic poison. Its effects were beginning to fade and feeling was beginning to return to his finger tips. He'd even begun to be able to wiggle his toes. A scrap of clothing was tied tightly around the gash on his upper arm, but Obi-Wan said it had already bled through. Hopefully Padmé would return soon enough with a med pack. He wasn't happy with the thought of her going anywhere near that temple alone, but he also knew he'd never have been able to change her mind. That much was made clear when she'd severed their connection.

As he stared up at the doming roof of the hollow above him, a dull thrum of disbelief echoed in his mind. The temple beast was Padmé. It explained why she'd saved them from the tentacle creature, but he didn't understand why she'd tried to kill him. Was she just trying to push him away? That didn't seem like something she would do. Not Padmé. His brows furrowed. They didn't know how much her mind had been affected by whatever transformations she had been through. Shaking himself internally, he supposed it probably didn't matter. She was with them now and more than happy to cooperate. 

"Forgive me if I assumed incorrectly, but the big cat that just saved our lives is none other than our Padmé?" Obi-Wan broke the silence. Anakin couldn't turn his head to see him, but he knew the master was seated against a wall close by. The only response was a long, drawn out hum of affirmation. "That's quite a turn of events," Obi-Wan chirped.

"Tell me about it," Anakin snorted.

"It could be the result of some sort of magic," Obi-Wan thought out loud. "The force doesn't feel particularly strong here and I think we'd have noticed if the Senator was secretly a lothcat on steroids."

"Perhaps," Anakin sighed. "Padmé didn't give me any details, but I got the strong sense she doesn't know what happened either." Obi-Wan shifted, letting out a hum. "We can ask her about it when she gets back."

"Any knowledge she may have is better than none," Obi-Wan supposed. A somber silence befell them, but it didn't last long. Padmé sprung back up into the hole with a little red box pinched between her teeth. It seemed her endeavour had been successful. Obi-Wan gently took the box from her, kneeling by Anakin's side with it.

"I think there is a conversation we need to have," Anakin spoke, his eyes flicking over to Padmé. She sat at the rim of the hollow, staring out across the forest. The muscles in her back were ridged. Golden eyes landed on him. He felt her presence connection with his own, forming a bridge between their minds. A forlorn sadness hummed within her.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, blinking slowly. Obi-Wan began rifling through the med kit to find what he needed.

"Tell us everything," Anakin responded. "Tell us the whole story, or at least what your remember." Staring back out into the jungle, he felt her turning over an idea in her mind. It finally settled on resolution, filling her with a nervous buzz.

"There isn't much," she sighed. "I'll tell you what I can." Curling her long tail around her, she paused as if to find the right place to start. “After I nearly died, everything was just a haze and I don’t really know what happened.” Anakin’s brows furrowed, but he remained silent to let her continue. “All I remember is prowling around the temple mindlessly. Then I came across you, and I recognised you, but I was overtaken by blood lust.” Anakin went ridged. “The next cohesive memory I have is Obi-Wan stopping you from killing me.” Guilt churned in Anakin’s guts. He had nearly killed her. He’d nearly cut right through her. “I’ve been myself since then.” Closing his eyes over, he let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled, pain blossoming in his chest.

“Don’t be. I was the one that attacked you. I would have killed you if you hadn’t stopped me,” she explained. Anakin was certain how to feel about that, but he supposed she wasn’t really in the frame of mind to care about his life.

“We might not be any closer to the answer, but at least you’re with us now,” he supposed.

* * *

In terms of things going terribly, astronomically wrong, Ahsoka felt she had hit the jackpot. Standing on the command room of the 501st's flagship. All the monitors were illuminated with holograms of the planet below that mapped out the greatest concentrations of people with glowing lights. Clones were buzzing around her, whispering in low tones. The darkness of the room was primarily staged off by the blue glow coming off the holo that flickered above the round conference table. Gripping its edges, she felt sweat bead her forehead for the hologram was none other than Dooku himself. As always, he was polished to perfection with not a single crease on his fine robes.

When she'd been told they were receiving a transmission from the planet below, she'd assumed it would be a surrender from the separatist forces. She hadn't expected the fallen Jedi master himself to appear. It was fair to say, she was more than a little startled. "Little padawan Tano," Dooku drawled, narrowing his eyes. "Where is your master? The adults need to have a conversation." Deep wrinkles of annoyance formed over the bridge of her nose. 

"He isn't here right now," Ahsoka informed him coldly. "It's me you'll deal with."

"Ah, very well then," Dooku sent her a taunting smirk. "I suppose you can always pass on my message."

"Unless you're going to surrender, there isn't much for you to say to us," Rex grunted from the other side of the table. His arms were crossed over his chest, his helmet resting on the table by his hip. A deep scowl was cut into his features.

"No, I assure you that what I have to say will certainly catch your interest," Dooku responded coldly, clasping his hands behind his back. 

"Don't keep us waiting," Ahsoka jabbed.

"I have planted detonators all over the capital," Dooku informed them. "You will give me passage off Gorte, or I will blow the city and it's citizens into the sky." Ahsoka's stomach tightened. There were millions inhabiting Daru, the capital city and she wouldn't put it past Dooku to kill them all to get his own way. "You have until the sun sets on Daru tomorrow in 48 hours to make your decision." His hologram flickered out of existence. 

Ahsoka stood up straight, sucking in a deep breath. Thoughts ran through her mind at ridiculous speeds. "Scan Daru for traces of detanators," she instructed a clone near by. He nodded and immediate set to work, tapping furiously at the monitor before him. Rex and her traded a long, pained stare. Nothing ever went smoothly for the 501st. A cursed passed on by Anakin, none the less. "I'll get in touch with my master and master Kenobi, to see what they say but for now we should organise a covert strike team," she told him. 

"Yes, commander," Rex nodded his head. "I'll get on that right away."

"Commander," a clone called to her. "We've detected at least 132 detonators throughout the city," he informed her. Once more, she traded a long suffering stare with Rex. Tracking down each of those bombs within 48 hours would be nearly impossible. They would have better luck finding Dooku and disabling the trigger mechanism. 

"I'll find Dooku, you take a troop and disable as many bombs as you can," she told Rex. He nodded his head. Standing up straight, she began to punch in her master's comm code to the conference table. She didn't know how he would cope with this information so soon after Padmé's death, but she had to let him know. Part of her hoped he might come up with some genius plan to sort this whole mess out, but she knew deep down this fight was one she was going to have to face alone.


	7. Tether

Much later that day, long after the sun had set, a little fire burned steadily at the centre of their little hollow. Padmé lay on opposite sides of the Jedi. The orange gloom cast their faces with mild highlights and dark shadows. Listening to the steady crackle of the flames, she was nibbling at the short hair between the large pads on her paws. Ever since she'd helped the Jedi escape the natives, she'd had a stinging pain in it. She assumed tree bark must have gotten stuck in her paw when she'd been running at such high speeds. It was driving her crazy. Although her tongue could reach the splinter, her teeth were too big to fit into the gap to pull it out. 

Absentmindedly continuing her picking, she let her mind wander. Most of the day she'd spent telling Anakin and Obi-Wan more details of her 'death' and the mindless haze she'd been in afterwards. Then of course, running into them again and only getting clarity when Anakin was inches from killing her. They'd absorbed the information easily, chipping in possibilities but never coming up with anything concrete. In the end, they'd just decided to give up for the night and do more investigation tomorrow. 

The sound of feet crunching leaves made her ears perk. Anakin walked over, sitting down in front of her. "You need a hand with that?" he asked, pointing to her paw. Wordlessly, she offered it to him. Hoisting it up into his lap, he pushed apart her paw pads and slowly began working the splinter out with his thumbs. There was clean, white bandage wrapped around his upper arm. After Obi-Wan had provided him with the best aid he could, it hadn't taken long for him to regain his mobility. "You've been awfully distant," he commented. She tilted her head to one side. "You haven't been taking much"

"There's not much to say," she responded quietly. He glanced up at her, his lips pressing into a dissatisfied line.

"Padmé, I don't care that your not human anymore," he told her. "I'll be there for you regardless of what form you take." Her eyes flicked over to Obi-Wan. He was peacefully meditating. Orange light danced around his features. Anakin seemed unfazed by the other Jedi's proximity. The truth of their relationship must have reached open air, she realised with a startle. 

"That's not why I asked you to leave," she murmured through the bond. He cocked a brow up towards her. "I tried to kill you, Anakin," her voice was fragile and weak. She reflexively flexed her claws. "I couldn't trust myself near you."

"From the sounds of it, you didn't really know what you were doing," Anakin responded, his attention still focused on her paw. He pushed a little to hard, making her jolt and let out a yelping grumble. "Sorry," he softened his touch. "And anyway, it's not like you actually hurt me."

"What if it happens again?" she argued. "What if I catch you off guard?" With a tug, Anakin pulled the splinter from her paw. It was nearly the same length as his hand. Throwing it into the flames, he turned his gaze up to her. Blowing out a puff of air through his nose, he gripped the sides of her jaw and lowered her head down to his eye level.

"Padmé Amidala. I will hold you down as many times as I have to until we find a way to fix this, okay?" he spoke with stern assurance. Padmé shoved her forehead into his chest, prompting a chuckle from his lips. He wrapped his arms around her head and gently stroked the underside of her chin. "You're soft," he sighed, laying his head on the back of her own. Padmé supposed that might be one of the few perks of being a giant, furry cat. Reaching out with her front paws, she wrapped them around him and gave him a gentle squeeze. "And cuddly," he laughed. 

* * *

When Anakin woke, he didn't really want to move. He was lying back onto Padmé, who had curled into a ball around him at some point in the night. It was like being cradled in rich, fur blankets. The whooshing of her breath lulled him into an intense sense of peace. The force was calm and steady. He found himself wishing he could wake up like this every morning. The only thing off was the stench in the air. It was herbal and bitter, so strong his head was pounding. Peeling his eyes open, his brows dipped into a deep frown. When he strained against the intense sunlight, he could just make out the outline of a rounded woman perched in the entrance hole to the hollow. After a moment of groggily staring, he bolted upright. A few more blinks, and his vision cleared. The woman was stout, her dark skin rich with colour and her hair braided with bones and feather.

Anakin bolted up to his feet, glancing around he saw the Obi-Wan was beginning to rise but Padmé was out for the count. "Obi-Wan," Anakin hissed. His former master stirred, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw the woman and quickly scampering to his feet.

"I do apologise for the smell," the woman spoke with a thick accent and a honeyed voice. She pointed down to a bone bowl that had a smouldering pile of mashed leaves. "It's called jut root. It's to keep her from killing me on sight," she gestured loosely to Padmé. Anakin stared down at her. She was still completely unconscious, but her chest was steadily rising and falling.

"What is it doing to her?" Anakin growled lowly. 

"Just keeping her unconscious," she hummed. 

"What is it you want from us?" Obi-Wan asked, his hand hovering over his lightsaber.

"I can tell you exactly what happened to your friend," she responded calmly, her deep voice bouncing with rhythm. The two Jedi traded a wide eyed look. Keeping his shoulders stiff, Anakin narrowed his eyes at her. Would she offer up the information willingly or was she going to ask them for something?

"What happened to her?" Anakin asked impatiently, stepping out of Padmé's little circle.

"She has become a Dujin, a creature very sacred to our people," the woman hummed. "We would normally sacrifice a warrior in the Dujin temple for them to be reborn as a beast of incredible power. Your friend must have died on an alter when her troops were attacked." Anakin's jaw clenched when he thought back to the huge bloodstain by the base of the alter he had found the snipet on.

"Why are you telling us this?" Obi-Wan asked, sauntering towards her slightly.

"It's my sworn duty to aid all Dujin and their tethers," she replied.

"Their tethers?" Anakin screwed up his face. 

"Every Dujin needs one," she informed them. "Without one, they would just be mindless beasts that rampage until they die." Those words sent a shock of fear through Anakin. He stared down at Padmé with wide eyes. "You don't need to worry about that though, because your friend has one."

"She does?" Anakin perked a brow.

"She'd already be dead if she didn't and I'm fairly certain it's you," she said to Anakin. His scowl deepened.

"What is a tether?" Obi-Wan asked, his arms crossing over his chest.

"To put it simply, you’re going to have to keep her in check," she explained. Deep lines formed between Anakin's brows. That was hardly an answer. "The jut won't burn forever," she tutted. "There isn't time to fully explain." Part of him wanted to press for more answers but he decided to let it slide. "When you first came across her, did she try to kill you?" Anakin nodded. "You managed to subdue her, didn't you?" Another nod. "Can you hear her voice in your head." Narrowing his eyes, he nodded for the last time. "Then you are a bonded pair." Anakin supposed that was true in a lot more ways than one.

"Why should we believe any of what your saying?" Anakin asked.

"I didn't think you would, so I've come with an offer," she responded sharply.

"Do tell," Obi-Wan prompted her.

"I'm assuming she is unable to return to human form?" she asked. Anakin nodded stiffly. "Well all you gotta do is tell her, and you can't be nice about it, to turn back." Now this was definitely bantha poodoo. "No matter how she reacts, don't relinquish the command."

"What do you get out of this?" Anakin asked lowly.

"All I ask is that you will come to me when she is human again so I can teach you pair how to manage her abilities," she spoke softly now. Suspicion rose within Anakin. There had to be a better reason for her helping them. This offer was too kind. The natives of this land had seemed more than happy to kill them before.

"What would happen if we simply left after she turns back?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Her behaviour would deteriorate and you would end up with a lot of unnecessary blood on your hands," she scolded them, speaking as though it was painfully obvious. "Our warriors are trained their whole lives to be Dujin or tethers. You have no experience and it will haunt you." Anakin pressed his lips into a thin line, peering down at Padmé. He didn't want to think her capable of killing anyone, and if she did it would surely tear her apart. The woman rose to her feet. "Directly north from this tree is a cliff face. You will find me in the cave system," she hummed. Without waiting for a reply, she jumped out of the hollow and left them to their thoughts. Deflating and running a hand back through his hair, he glanced down at Padmé. He was going to have one heck of a job explaining this to her.


	8. Return

When Padmé woke, she was groggy and dazed. A horrible, herbal smell burned the insides of her nose. With a grumble, she got to her feet and lowered herself into a stretch. The bones in her back crackled and popped. Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn. Righting her posture, she pawed at her eyes. The hollow was filled with brilliant light, the embers of the fire had gone cold. Anakin and Obi-Wan were close by, muttering to each other in low voices. She could sense nervousness from Anakin. It buzzed around him like a hive of bees. Glancing over at her, he ceased his conversation with Obi-Wan and turned his attention to her. She cocked her head to one side.

"Padmé, you need to turn back to your human form," he told her. She straightened up and lined her ears backwards. A flicker of irritation rose within her. Of course she needed to turn back, she didn't need him to spell that out for her.

"I'm aware of that," she responded down their mental link.

"Turn back to your human form," he added with more sternness. She took half a step back from him. A terrible ache began developing in her head, nearly blinding her. It set her off balance, forcing her to sit down or fall over. She let out low bleating sounds.

"If it were that simple, don't you think I would have done it by now?" she growled in irritation.

"Turn back," he commanded. The ache in her head became unbearable. Letting out a whimpering whine, she lay down to the floor and pawed at her head. Noise rang in her ears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt low growls rattling her frame. An intense, sharp pain shot from the pads of her paws all the way up to her chest. Her senses began dulling and she curled in on herself more. Then suddenly, it all stopped. The pain faded. 

It took her a little while to collect her senses. A hand gripped her shoulder. With a jolt, she realised she was back in a human body. Sitting bonto her knees, she stared down at her hands. Long, slender fingers connected to a distinctly human palm. Her mouth fell open. Delight flooded her senses. Her clothes still hugged close to her body. A smile curled her lips. Lifting her eyes, she saw Anakin kneeling in front of her. He was peering at her cautiously, but a twinkle of joy shone in his gaze. Gripping her shoulders, he pulled her into a hug so tight she could hardly breathe. She wrapped her own arms around him, relishing the pressure of his embrace. Placing a hand on the back of her head, he tucked it beneath his chin. She breathed him in deeply, absorbing the heat provided by his body.

After a moment or two, he pulled away. His eyes scanned her, landing on her abdomen. She glanced down to see what he was looking at. There was a hole in the fabric of her clothing that was surrounded by a dark, crimson stain. The stain dragged the whole way down her body. With his thumb, he brushed the perfect skin beneath the hole. "You're really alive," he whispered, his voice cracking. 

"You haven't gotten rid of me just yet," she chuckled lightly, cupping the side of his face with her hand and brushing her thumb along his high cheek bone. 

"Thank goodness for that," he mumbled, running a hand back through his hair.

Glancing back down at her body, she felt a question rising within her mind. "Am I fixed now?" she asked hopefully. Anakin's face paled and he gave her a somber shake of the head. Her shoulders drooped, but at least she wasn't the big cat anymore.

"I think we might have found a way to fix you, or at least keep this new part of you in check," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and sitting back onto the ground. Crossing her legs, she folded her arms over and began to ponder his words. Keep her in check? 

"It seems you accidentally partook in a native ritual that ended up saving your live but tethering you to the big cat form," Obi-Wan added from where he leaned against the wall. She blinked up at him slowly, her brows pulled in together.

"Hold on," she raised a placating hand. "How did you figure all of this out?"

"We had a visitor whilst you were asleep," he responded. Padmé only became more confused. They continued on to tell her all about the strange woman that visited them. They also told her about Dujin and tethers and some magic herb that could put her to sleep when burned. By the end of it, she was rubbing the sides of her head and sitting with her elbows planted on her knees. Obi-Wan had joined them, sitting on the floor by their sides.

"Let me get this straight," she sighed deeply. "I'm basically a ticking time bomb that is relying on Anakin to be my impulse control?" Although Padmé loved her husband dearly, she knew he'd never been the best at self control. Their marriage was testament enough to that. So how was he going to be able to manage both of them? A worried ache pounded at the back of her skull.

"From what we gathered, yes," Anakin responded.

"Great," she snorted and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are we going to trust this woman and go to the cliffs?"

"Well, she hasn't lied to us yet," Anakin shrugged. "I don't think we really have much of a choice. If she can teach us a way to keep you under control, I think it's worth the risk of walking into a trap." Padmé nodded her head in agreement. The last thing she wanted was to loose herself and kill someone. Even just the thought of that crushed her.

There was a beep from Anakin's wrist com. He peered down at it for a moment before answering. "General Skywalker," he spoke.

"Master, I've run into a bit of an issue with the siege," Ahsoka's young voice echoed out of the device on his wrist. Obi-Wan and Anakin traded a look. Padmé's gut clenched. Had they left Ahsoka in charge of a siege upon the news of her death? Although she was glad they didn't, shouldn't they have just waited until it was over to come to Tutro?

"What happened?" Anakin asked gruffly.

"Well, it turns out Dooku is in Daru and has planted over 100 detonators throughout the city. He wants passage off the planet or he is going to ignite them," she explained. Anakin's face visibly paled. Obi-Wan stroked his beard in consideration. "He has given us 48 hours to do as he asks."

"Don't let him off the planet," Anakin instructed. "The moment he is safe he'll blow it up anyway so that the city can't be of any use to republic forces." 

"A small group of clones and I will be doing to the surface to defuse as many bombs as we can," Ahsoka told him.

"You'll never get them all in time, that's too risky," Anakin scolded her, his back tensing up.

"I intend to disable the trigger mechanism," she responded.

"No, absolutely not," Anakin chastised her. "Dooku will be guarding that thing and he won't think twice about killing you."

"I don't plan on letting him see me," Ahsoka responded. "He has to let his guard down some time."

"Not likely," Obi-Wan grumbled. 

"That's too risky snips," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin's wrist comm over to himself. "Disable as many bombs as you can, I'll be there as soon as possible," he assured her. Padmé felt worry for the little togruta bubbling up inside of her. She didn't understand why Jedi let children on the battlefield. Mature or not, they were still just kids.

"I'm on it," she responded, ending the transmission. Obi-Wan got to his feet, Anakin and Padmé rising behind him.

"I'll go help Ahsoka, but you two should really be going to the caves," he rolled his shoulders and walked to the mouth of the tree hole.

"The temple might still be filled with natives," Padmé warned him. Anakin's face was twisted with conflict.

"I'm expecting them this time, so I should be able to evade them and get to your ships," he sighed. Seeing the look on his former apprentice's face, he planted a hand on his shoulder. "Your place is here for now," he told him, glancing at Padmé. "I'm sure the war will still be going by the time you're ready to fight in it once again."

"Lucky me," Anakin grumbled, rolling his eyes. Obi-Wan smiled at that. "May the force be with you, master."

"May the force be with you," Obi-Wan responded, before jumping out of the hole and racing across the numerous, weaving branches. Padmé felt guilt stir within her and she nibbled her bottom lip. If it hadn't been for her, they both would have been there to support and help Ahsoka.

Draping an arm over her shoulder, he pulled her into a hug. She glanced up to see his expression was set with determination. "We should probably get going ourselves," he hummed. Nodding her head, she felt dread filling her. She just wished that she would close her eyes and this would all be over.

* * *

Obi-Wan was accustomed to stealth missions, and this was no different. Although he was used to evading droids, sneaking around people wasn't much more difficult. For the most part, the temple was empty. He only stumbled across the occasional local and the majority of them were on the outside of the building. The ships were docked at the flat bay at the back. It was only when he reached the vehicles that he ran into trouble.

There were several ships dotted around the place, slotted between large packing crates. The one closest to him was nimble and sleek. The cockpit was made of doming glass. It was his best bet at getting off the planet. The only issue was the large Dujin that was pacing through the ships. It's tail flicked in irritation behind it. Getting caught by that thing would make his chances of escape much, much slimmer. 

Waiting until it was out of view, he crept closer to the ship. He submerged himself in the force. He could feel the Dujin’s pulsing energy as it slunk around. Just as he grew close to the ship, the Dujin froze. Obi-Wan dove behind a crate, keeping himself low. Through a gap in the ships, he could just make out the back end of the beast. It was sniffing at the ground. His heart skipped a beat when it began to turn back towards him. It started to trot in his direction. 

Reaching out with the force, Obi-Wan gripped the ship furthest from him and rocked it. The metal let out a loud groan, creaking and squeaking accompanying it. Instantly, the beast changed course. It raced towards the noise with a furious growl. Obi-Wan scampered to his feet and quickly crept towards the ship nearest. Using the force to lower the access ramp, he slipped inside and zipped into the cockpit. Just as the engines began firing up, there was a deafening roar. Through the viewport, he saw the Dujin zooming towards him. 

Obi-Wan was off the ground and rocketing into the sky before it could reach him, but the creature leapt into the air with claws out. The height it cleared was phenomenal and the beast's talons scraped the ships underbelly. Obi-Wan burst through the canopy and began safely soaring through the sky. Only then did he collapse back into his pilot seat and blow out a long breath.


	9. Deedujin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a little while... 
> 
> I won’t lie, I’ve been flipping between a lot of different works at the moment, but I’ll do my best to keep updating this story. I’m hoping to get at least one chapter out a week. Enjoy!

The jungle was a lot easier to traverse in the form of a Dujin than a human, Padmé decided. Anakin and her had been walking for the majority of the day and she'd found herself missing the ability to simply spring from branch to branch. The forest itself was quiet. They hadn't encountered much wild life. By now, the sunlight was turning golden. They didn't have long until darkness fell. Luckily, they could make out the distant grey tinge of a cliff face.

"Did the woman happen to mention what we should expect?" Padmé asked Anakin, warily eyeing their destination. They were walking along a thin branch, the bark crunching beneath their feet. He blew out a long sigh. It seemed she'd pulled him from a trance like state of concentration. 

"She didn't say much," Anakin grumbled, scratching at the back of his head. "I don't know what methods she'll use to teach us, but we are just going to have to adapt." Once again, his eyes glazed over and through their bond she felt a flicker of anxiety. It wasn't for their predicament though. Something else entirely different was weighing on his mind.

"You're worried about Ahsoka," she observed. The corners of his lips curled down. She'd hit the mark.

"She is in a very bad spot," Anakin responded quietly. "I left her there. If something happens to her I-" he blew out a long breath through his nose. His eyes caught hers, the upset in them conveyed all the words he couldn't say. Padmé grasped his human hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"You've trained her well. She has become a brilliant Jedi," she assured him. "Ahsoka can take care of herself and Obi-Wan is on his way to her now. She will be fine." Anakin nodded his head, sucking in a deep breath. Some of his unease shifted, but she felt it still buzzing in the back of his mind like an agitated wasp. They settled into a tense silence, continuing their journey side by side.

"Damn Dooku," he cursed suddenly, taking her off guard. "Why is it the separatists always find a way to kick us when we are down?" Padmé peered up at him silently. She could remind him that was just the nature of war, but she knew he was already well aware of that. This was just pent up frustration. It would be the best to just let him run it all out. "It's like they know when we are at a disadvantage and unlike the republic they'll do whatever it takes to win, the lives of the innocent be damned." 

"There will come a day when we won't have to fight anymore," Padmé responded softly. 

"At what cost?" Anakin's voice was strained. "How much more do we have to loose?" He scowled ahead. "Why is it always us that draws the short straw?"

"Anakin," she reached out and grabbed his forearm, finally understanding what this was about. His eyes flicked down to her. They were filled with fear and upset. "I'm right here." His expressions downturned slightly and his shoulders drooped. Even his walking pace slowed a little.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered so quietly she had to strain to hear him. "I saw you get impaled." His nose scrunched and he dropped his eyes to the bark below them. "I didn't know how I was going to keep going without you." Padmé felt her own emotions bubble. If he died, she had no idea how she would react. She didn't even want to imagine the pain it might cause her. The one taste she had was when she woke up from her nightmares shaking because she'd dreamed he'd been killed in action. "Now, we don't even know what's happening to you and we still don't really know how you're alive." A heavy weight settled on her shoulders. "We've all given more than our fair share to this war and now this has happened." He gestured around himself and to her. "When will it ever end?"

"Are you trying to tell me you want to leave the war behind?" her voice hitched and her brows shot up. If he left the war, he'd have to leave the Jedi order too. Something she couldn't imagine him doing. Not in her wildest dreams. Only the most extenuating of circumstances would make him consider such a thing. Anakin's jaw clenched and a frown became etched into his features. He seemed to ponder his response for a long second.

"I don't want to leave the effort and the people behind, but I'm tired of loosing," he responded. Those words resonated deeply within her, causing a lump to form in her throat. She'd often thought no victory could be worth this much bloodshed. "What if you were to die and stay dead?" he asked her. Her mouth opened, but she found herself unable to answer him. "Think of all the things we would never be able to do. All the time together we would have lost." Her heart ached because she realised these had probably been the thoughts dominating his mind after her apparent death. 

"I'm not dead, Ani," she reminded him. "This situation we've found ourselves in is less than ideal, but if anything it will be more difficult to kill me now." He still scowled at the thought. "If I can regrow entire limbs as a Dujin, a spear to the chest probably isn't much of a threat anymore."

"I don't like to imagine how you'd fair against an ion bomb," he grumbled, his brows pulling in together.

"We don't know how long we will be here," she told him gently. "By the time we leave, I'll probably have been replaced in the senate." That admission wounded her, but there was no point in hiding from the truth. Anakin sent her a sympathetic stare. "With the war still going on, there will always be a risk of one of us dying no matter where in the galaxy we are."

"But it would be smaller. A lot smaller," he argued. "What if we went to Naboo? What if we left all of this behind?"

"I would love to Anakin, I really would, but think of everything you'd be leaving behind. What about Ahsoka? What about Obi-Wan?" she persisted. Conflict flashed on his features. "I don't want to leave the republic behind just yet. I want to keep helping the war effort." This seemed to upset him even further. "We don't have to make any decisions now," she reminded him. "There is still plenty of time." Anakin nodded slowly, seemingly appeased for now.

It wasn't much longer until they reached the branches that scraped the rocky cliff face. A gaping hole narrowed into a series of dark tunnels. Padmé and Anakin stood at the entrance, peering into the cave system beyond. They traded a wary look. "Don't worry," an elderly lady emerged from the darkness. Greyed hair was pulled into intricate braids. "These tunnels are perfectly safe," she cooed. Although she matched Anakin's description perfectly, she still wasn't anywhere near what Padmé had predicted. "So you're the Dujin, huh?" she stopped before Padmé with a warm smile. "Quite a pretty little thing, aren't ya?" Heat blushed her cheeks.

"We came as you asked," Anakin greeted her calmly.

"I can see that," the woman teased, bringing a smile to Padmé's face and a scowl to Anakin's. "Come on," she beckoned them to follow her back into the tunnels. They followed her a little reluctantly.

"I don't even know your name," Padmé spoke softly.

"I'm Deedujin," she responded. "Most just call me Dee." Padmé repeated the name in her head several times, engraving it into the banks of her memory. "What are your names?"

"I'm Padmé," she introduced herself.

"Anakin," he followed her example.

"Well, Padmé and Anakin, you've got quite the journey ahead of you," she chuckled.

* * *

Ahsoka's fingers ached. She'd lost count of how many bombs she'd dismantled. The air was dry and a film of dust coated her throat. Sand was everywhere, the ground, the roofs, her boots. Luckily, the sun had set which provided her with colder air and a chilling breeze. The buildings were all made of sandstone and they reached double and triple layers. Lines of clothing were strung between the cobbled alleyways and a low chatter filled the night air. Despite the bright street lamps, she could still make out the twinkling of stars in the sky above.

Even with the progress she'd made, stress was building on her chest. They had a lot more bombs to dismantle and at this rate, they would never get them all in time. Her master's warning to stay away from Dooku rang clear in her mind, but she didn't know how much longer she could heed it. If the situation was dire enough, Ahsoka would have to find Dooku and do her best to dismantle the trigger. Even if her own life was put at stake. She couldn't allow the city to explode.

They had a guess where Dooku was holed out. An underground bunker in the heart of the city that was deep enough to escape damage from the blast. His snake like actions were making her blood boil, but what else should she have expected from a Sith? His history as a Jedi meant nothing. He'd proven that time and time again. 

As it was, Ahsoka was slinking around disabling the bombs closest to the bunker. She was ready to sneak in with just a moments notice. She didn't want Master Kenobi returning to a pile of rubble where a developed city was supposed to stand. He would likely arrive just before the detonation, but there was little he could do with such a short window of time. It was up to Ahsoka to keep the people of Daru safe, and she had no intention of failing them.


	10. Decision

Dee led Anakin and Padmé through a maze of tunnels, introducing them to different rooms and chambers as she went. Brilliant, blue mushrooms lit up on the walls as they passed, illuminating the gloom. The air was musky and dank, the ground hard and uneven. Their voices echoed far into the darkness, accompanied by the crunch of their foot steps. Padmé was walking ahead of Anakin, just behind Dee in a small passageway. Her fingers trailed along the cold, slightly damp stone.

As they approached a little doorway cut into the wall, Dee wasted no time slipping into it. Padmé and Anakin followed after her. The room beyond was large, but not huge. The ground dipped into a crystal blue pool of water that seemed to be lit from beneath. A thin walkway of rock cut through to a central island that had three stone chairs angled in towards each other. Dee sat in one, gesturing for the pair to take the other two. They followed her suggestion, sitting down on the hard furniture. "From our last conversation, I'm guessing you two know nothing about Dujin?" she asked, clasping her hands together and settling down in her chair.

"Nothing," Padmé shook her head. There hadn't been much material on the holonet about this planet, aside from the rare death dog that could multiply its tentacles when one was severed.

"Then I have a lot of explaining to do," she hummed, leaning on the arm of her chair. Dee paused for a moment, as if considering where best to start. "The Dujin temple, the one your warriors were killed in, is a very old and sacred place to the tribes of this world. It's where we sacrificed our warriors to become undead beasts of incredible power, known as Dujin." Padmé's brows shot up. Undead? She felt very much alive.

"What do you mean by undead?" Padmé asked, leaning forwards and scrunching her brows.

"You are a dead spirit bound to the mortal plain," Dee responded calmly. Padmé's shoulders dropped. So she she was dead, in some form or another. Beside her, Anakin was glaring into his lap but she felt his upset like it was her own. It felt like a somber weight had been pressed down on top of them. "When the ritual is done normally, a warrior is bled dry atop the stone alter along side their most precious possession. If the possession is valued enough, they will reawaken in the form of a Dujin." Padmé has certainly bled out, but her most precious possession? After a moment of deep consideration, she recalled the japor snippet with a start. She turned to see Anakin dangling the very necklace from his fingers. "Is that the item?" the woman asked.

Anakin glanced at Padmé, cocking a brow. After peering at the dangling pendant, she felt her stomach clench. Of course it was. It always would be. "That's it," she sighed, crossing her legs and leaning back into her seat.

"Keep it safe," Dee told Anakin and he slipped it back into his robes. "Her life is bound to that. If it gets destroyed, she returns to the spirit world." Anakin went ridged, his eyes widening slightly. "It's one of the few ways to kill her."

"How else could she die?" Anakin asked, his brows pulling in together.

"If you die, she won't be long after you," Dee hummed. Once again, Anakin had a flare of terror. She couldn't imagine what he was thinking, knowing her life was bound to him. If he'd been over protective before, she had a feeling it was going to get much, much worse. "The last way would be to return the necklace to her possession. It would free her from her bindings and release her from the living world." No touching the snippet then. Noted. "Anything else, she'll just regenerate from." So ion bombs weren't an issue for her after all. 

"So how is it Anakin and I are bonded?" Padmé asked, cocking her head to one side.

"All Dujin are bonded to a living human," Dee explained. "He is the only thing keeping your humanity intact. Without him, you'd feel no emotion. No remorse. You'd turn into the mindless monster you were before he found you. Now he must keep you from falling back into that state." Padmé blew out a long breath, her gut clenching. Angst rose within her. She didn't want to be a mindless killing machine. She didn't want to be an undead warrior. "Your partnership is mutually beneficial," she hummed. "He gets an immortal warrior that will follow him to the edges of the galaxy and she gets to continue living with no fear she may go rabid." Padmé traded a look with Anakin. She supposed it was better than being dead. He, on the other hand, looked like he had been punched in the gut.

"Is there no way to undo all of this?" Anakin asked.

"Not unless you are happy with her dying once again," Dee looked between them with apologetic eyes. Padmé pinched at the bridge of her nose and drew in a long, shaky breath. "If you stay here with me, I will teach you pair to work together to control her new skill set to the best of your abilities and give you back what little normality you will be able to find." A heavy silence fell over them. "You could return to death, and I would help you get there," she offered. Padmé was torn. Dee blew out a long breath and rose to her feet. "The choice is yours. Find me when you are ready." She left them alone. 

Anakin's pained eyes met hers. Reaching out, he gently grasped her hand. Feeling heat bubble into them, she pressed her knuckles against her eyes. Her heart ached. "I should go back to being dead," she mumbled, more to herself than him.

"What?" his voice hitched with fear. She lifted her head to see him staring at her like she'd slapped him. "Don't say that," his voice cracked and pain danced across his eyes. Her heart broke for him. He'd just gotten her back to find out she wasn't even really there.

"I've already died, Anakin. It'll return things to the way they’re supposed to be," she murmured. He vehemently shook his head. "I don't want blood on my hands."

"Then we'll learn to keep you under control. That's why we're here," he gestured around them. She bit down on her bottom lip. "Please don't leave me again." Water sparkled in his eyes. Pressing her lips together, she turned away from him. Guilt brewed within her.

"I'm not really alive Anakin," she argued. "I'm living on borrowed time."

"Every moment matters, Padmé. You said it yourself, there is still so much for you to do in the galaxy," he protested. She nibbled her bottom lip, her decision swaying slightly. "We can manage this. We can pull through this together." He squeezed her hand tightly. In truth, she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but her life had ended. It would be his she would be waiting for the end of. What if she couldn't age? Would she just watch him grow old and decrepit without her? Would she watch him waste away in the final few years of his life? Could she watch that? Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to steady herself. She couldn't give up so easily. There was always a way to send her back to the dead if she became too unmanageable.

"Okay, but you have to promise me something Anakin," she spoke sternly. His eyes settled on her faithfully. "Promise me you will give me back the snippet if I loose control." His mouth fell open.

"Padmé-" his voice cracked.

"I'd rather be dead than mindless again," she spoke with flinty certainty. "If I am to put my full faith in you, then I need to know you won't let me fall." More tears collected in her eyes because she knew just how much she was asking of him. Anakin lived in a constant fear that he would loose those closest to him. If he also had to live knowing he might have to effectively kill her one day, she had no idea how he would cope with that. 

The terror in Anakin's eyes filled her with guilt. He looked like she'd cleaved him in two. "Padmé, I'd never let you fall," he told her confidently, but she knew he meant he wouldn't let it get that far in the first place.

"When it comes to it, will you do what needs to be done? Will you release me?" she pressed him again. She needed to hear him say it and mean it. Really mean it.

Anakin looked away from her, a single tear tracking down her cheek. She waited patiently, letting him mull in his thoughts for a moment or two. Inhaling deeply, he turned back to her and weakly nodded his head. "I'll do it," he murmured lowly. It looked like saying those words wounded him deeply. They probably did. "If I have to, I'll return the snippet." His face scrunched and another tear dripped from his eyes.

Padmé laced their fingers together and gave him a little smile of gratitude. Reaching out with her other hand, she brushed away one of his falling tears. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing her heart meant every syllable.

* * * 

Ahsoka's chest was tight, her heart pounding fast. She was working away on a bomb hidden behind some crate-like bins in a back alley. The stench of rot made her sick to her stomach. The sky was beginning to grow dark and orange. The chatter of the city was dying down as its inhabitants began returning to their homes, potentially, for the last time. When she glanced down at the countdown on her wrist, she was horrified to see they only had three hours. Three hours and twenty bombs to go. There was not enough time. The moment she hear the satisfying click of a her bomb being disabled, she brought her wrist com to her mouth and pressed down on it hard.

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan answered.

"Master Kenobi," Ahsoka greeted him. "I'm going to try and find a way to disable the trigger because there is not enough time to disable all these bombs." There was a beat of silence.

"Ahsoka, no, it's too dangerous," he objected. "I will be there shortly, wait for me."

"I can't," she protested. "There are too many lives at risk and not enough time."

"Dooku is a master of his craft. He will cut you down," Kenobi assured her strictly. Unease rose within her. Of course she knew that. Dooku had been a Jedi master. One of the fallen twenty. The master of Kenobi's own master. The man was a legend amongst the swordsmen of the Jedi. Even when he fell to the dark he maintained his aura of perfection and grace. She would be no match for him, but she couldn't not try.

"I'm aware of that," Ahsoka sighed. "I'm not trying to fight him, I'm trying to get to the trigger. I won't engage him if I don't have to."

"He will sense you Ahsoka," Obi-Wan informed her. "You will have no choice but to engage."

"Then I'll do what I must," she responded calmly, ending the transmission. Rising to her feet, she turned in the direction of the bunker. Her heart began hammering. What was a mission without a possible death?


End file.
